12:14 – “One of the world’s most advanced phones in a small form factor.”

12:25 – Luke shows off the phone’s UI and web browser.

User Interface Video

Web Browser Demo Video (sound’s all jacked up — sorry)

12:26 – Shows off Youtube interface. Looks very similar to iPhone/iPod touch.

12:27 – The HTC Touch Diamond will be available through all of HTC’s channel partners. In the UK; through all five network operators. Europe/Asia – available in June. Everywhere else; “later this year.”

12:33 – One of the head guys from Orange takes the stage to talk about Orange-specific apps for the Diamond. Orange Photos, Orange Music Store (direct downloads), ringtones/games/downloads, and mobile TV.

12:40 – Peter Chow takes the stage again and introduces Andy Lee of Microsoft. Lee talks about HTC and Windows Mobile. Says HTC is a great innovator. Also says Windows Mobile has a lot of momentum around the world. Last year sold more than 11 million devices. “Congratulations to HTC and the whole team. This is one of the most innovative — if not THE most innovative devices of 2008.”

12:45 – The presentation is wrapping up. I’ll have some more videos and hands-on stuff as the day progresses. As always, thanks for reading CrunchGear.

More info:

– Browser in the demo is Opera. IE6 for mobile isn’t ready yet but when it’s rolled out, it may or may not be pushed out to HTC Touch Diamond users.

– 20 key or full QWERTY versions of the keyboard. Can be used horizontally or vertically.

– Headphone jack is mini-USB. No plans for “big” 3.5mm or 2.5mm jack.

– Battery life is “better than most of our other devices.” WinMo 6.1 is between 8% and 21% better for battery life.

LONDON — May 6, 2008 — Born from a unique heritage of innovation and a deep desire to blend design with simplicity, HTC Corp., a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled its new flagship phone, the HTC Touch Diamondä. Delivering unmistakable style and meticulous craftsmanship the HTC Touch Diamond is defined by its compact size, game-changing Internet and its new captivating 3D touch interface called TouchFLOä 3D. The result is an uncompromising mobile phone that sets a new benchmark for phone sophistication and shapes consumer expectations for how a phone can be used.

“Today we mark a new era in mobile phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. “The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls.”

A New Dimension To Touch

HTC has taken a great leap forward in touch screen innovation with the introduction of its new 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. In addition, HTC is introducing a new innovative touch-sensitive control for interacting with Touch Diamond.

Making The Mobile Internet Fun

With the introduction of the Touch Diamond, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.

In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Diamond includes a customized new, HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content as well as utilizing Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

Unmatched Style and Size

The Touch Diamond is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user’s hand without compromising on features or functionality. Blending contrasting design elements of metal and unique geometric facets, the Touch Diamond complements a user’s personal style.

Bursting with Innovation

The Touch Diamond delivers an unrivalled combination of features and functionality that set a new standard for integrating mobile phone innovation into a small package. The 2.8 inch display provides near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens that ensures the photos you take will be clear and consistent. Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting are just a few of the features that make the Touch Diamond experience a stand out.

Availability

The HTC Touch Diamond™ will be available to customers across all major European carriers in June. It will be available later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The North American and Latin American versions of the Touch Diamond will be available in the second half of 2008.

“Our long-standing relationship with HTC meant they shared their phone concept and worked with us from the earliest stage. This early collaboration is important to us because at Orange, we know that the right multimedia experience is about more than just the phone,” said Olaf Swantee, EVP of Orange’s global mobile operations. “Our approach is to select and test the best phones and integrate our applications, combining them with access to the Orange World portal, the best tariffs, integrated billing, a user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. With the Touch Diamond from Orange we have created a unique phone which has taken advantage of our latest service innovation to build upon the consistently rich experience customers expect from Orange.”

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CrunchBase

OverviewHTC Corp is engaged in the design, development, and manufacture of smartphones and tablets in Taiwan.
The company offers PDA phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the United States, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operators and device partners. The company provides its own HTC self-branded products …